Life with most teenagers was like having a low-grade bladder infection. It hurts, but you had to tough it out.
Anne LamottRead
Every woman's path is difficult, and many mothers were as equipped to raise children as wire monkey mothers. I say that without judgment: It is, sadly, true. An unhealthy mother's love is withering.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the struggles of motherhood and the inadequacies some mothers face in providing love and care.
Anne Lamott's quote addresses the challenges that many women encounter on their journey through motherhood. It reflects on the idea that not all mothers are equipped to nurture their children adequately, comparing some to wire monkey mothers, who provide physical presence but lack emotional warmth. The statement emphasizes the potential harm that stems from an unhealthy expression of love, illustrating that love, when given inadequately, can lead to a detrimental effect on a child's well-being.
Themes
MotherhoodLoveEmotional HealthStrugglesParenting
In practice
Example use cases
In a parenting seminar emphasizing the challenges of raising children, this quote can serve to validate struggles faced by mothers.
More from Anne Lamott
All quotes →Or you might shout at the top of your lungs or whisper into your sleeve, "I hate you, God." That is a prayer too, because it is real, it is truth, and maybe it is the first sincere thought you've had in months.
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Your problem is how you are going to spend this one odd and precious life you have been issued. Whether you're going to spend it trying to look good and creating the illusion that you have power over people and circumstances, or whether you are going to taste it, enjoy it and find out the truth about who you are.
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It is hard to remember that you are a cherished spiritual being when you're burping up apple fritters and Cheetos.
Anne LamottRead
Gorgeous, amazing things come into our lives when we are paying attention: mangoes, grandnieces, Bach, ponds. This happens more often when we have as little expectation as possible. If you say, "Well, that's pretty much what I thought I'd see," you are in trouble. At that point you have to ask yourself why you are even here. [...] Astonishing material and revelation appear in our lives all the time. Let it be. Unto us, so much is given. We just have to be open for business.
Anne LamottRead
...because when people have seen you at their worst, you don't have to put on the mask as much.
Anne LamottRead
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Let your children be as so many flowers, borrowed from God. If the flowers die or wither, thank God for a summer loan of them.
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I just sit there and make up songs and sing to [my son] in gibberish. I'm very good at gibberish now.
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A lot of mothers will do anything for their children, except let them be themselves.
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